Alone in the midst
by zianourry
Summary: Fourteen year old Alexis Lestrange is Bella's only daughter, living with her cousins and about to start her fourth year in Hogwarts as a new student. She's moody, beautiful and dangerous, just like her mom. idk what else to write! bcuz idk how the book will continue... im making it up as i go along!


Alexis Lestrange walked up the grand staircase, head high, expression grim. Her Aunt Cissa had banished her from the dinner table, after Draco had received his Hogwarts letter. Not his first one, mind you. His book list and the like. The same as every year.

And just like all the previous years, Alex had failed to get hers.

No surprises there. She'd never even gone to the school. The Malfoys didn't want to reveal her existence, you see.

Supposedly for her protection.

Uh-huh. Sure.

More like for their reputation. If the wizarding world knew that Bellatrix Lestrange had a daughter, they would tear her apart for information.

Not that she had any. She'd been a baby at the time, and even then she had been in Malfoy Manor with a wet nurse, so that her parents could go torture people.

Alex reached her room and pulled out her wand, tapping the doorknob and using a silent spell to unlock it.

The door swung open, and Alex stepped inside. The door closed behind her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked around, happy to be back in her safe haven. Even the Malfoys dared not venture in here.

Her king sized bed stood in the center of the room, draped in black, green and silver finery. She dealt a punch to one of the pillows and spun around to look in the mirror.

Ha. Mirror. What a joke. More like cracked glass. Seven years of bad luck… but they would be over soon. That night in fact.

She twirled about the room, kicking invisible foes and arriving, breathless, at the door of her balcony.

"You look like your mother."

"Thanks Jen. Knew I could count on you." Alex turned to face the portrait of her best friend.

Jen had died two years earlier, when the remaining Death Eaters had rallied in Diagon Alley, only to be thwarted. Stupid Death Eaters. Alex had tried to dissuade her friend, but Jen, who was about a decade and a half older, had been persistent, and eventually left with her friend's blessing.

"You should get ready. It's not every day the heir to the Lestrange Fortune has a half birthday."

Alex laughed. "Because only you actually you celebrate those weird things."

Jen shook her finger disapprovingly. "Don't be too sure about that Alex! I know my twin also does," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "In fact, I think Sybill does more than me."

Alex sighed. Sometimes Jen was a tad too serious. "Whatever. I'm not changing."

"Just lighten your hair a little! Come on, you know you can make yourself look cuter." Jen wheedled.

Alex shook her head. "This is what I look like. I know that auror girl, Tonks uses her talent all the time, but I'm trying to look like me, not whoever people want me to be."

"Which is why you aren't in Hogwarts," Jen pointed out.

Good point.

The Malfoys had offered to let her go in disguise, but Alex wasn't going to give up the look which had taken her forever to figure out. She'd gone through thousands of photos of her mother and father before settling on the perfect blend. She wasn't going to stop using it any time soon.

Just then there was a knock on the door, and Alex looked up, surprised. She stood up leisurely and walked to the door, taking her time.

Narcissa Malfoy walked up the staircase towards her niece's room, feeling oddly nervous. Truth be told, Alexis frightened her sometimes. She was far too moody, too much like her mother. Bella could be just as scary sometimes.

But at least with Bella, Narcissa hadn't been given the job of raising her. Now she was.

The portrait of Narcissa's mother hung in her study, and she had consulted her many times in the past years.

"Give her more freedom," her mother had said. "But make sure that it is limited, still less than what Draco gets. Put her on a leash, and hold it tight. She'll know soon enough not to lunge, because then she'll choke."

Narcissa had taken those words to heart, although once there she wasn't sure what to do with them, and Lucius was no help.

"She's yours to deal with, Cissa," he'd said. "I have far too much on my hands what with Draco and the Wizengamot."

"So will we take her to the World Cup?"

Lucius had frowned, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I think she should be allowed to come, in disguise. The problem is that the other Death Eaters have plans for that night, and they don't know about her…" he trailed off. "…but I really think we should let her go to Hogwarts this year. After all Cissa, it wouldn't be hard to bring up a fake story, and getting false files placed at the ministry would be a joke. Anyone can do it. Face it Cissa, you need a break. Taking care of Alexis for so long has been hard for you, and she really needs to be around other Slytherins."

"But how do you know she'll be in Slytherin?" Narcissa had asked fearfully.

Lucius had laughed. "How can she not? Think about it and you'll see truth. Shall I write a letter to the Headmaster?"

Narcissa had sighed. "Yes. Now are we going to hide her identity or not?"

"Not. You and I know that will never happen, so why try?"

And now it was Narcissa's job to go and tell Alexis about these developments. That is, if she would open the door.

Having knocked twice, Narcissa stood outside Alexis's room with an odd feeling of apprehension, like a child before detention. As she raised her hand to knock again, the door flew open.

"Yes?" Alexis stood at the door, her hair blowing in the absent breeze, flickering through several colors a minute. Her eyebrow was cocked skeptically, her full lips in a pout. The clothes she wore were matte black and ripped artfully, her black eyes shining.

All in all, quite impressive, not to mention intimidating.

"Can I come in?" Narcissa asked.

"No. What do you want?"

Narcissa sighed. "Very well, we will walk, in the courtyard. I have news for you."

Alexis nodded, and she stepped forward, the door of her room shutting behind her. She taped the doorknob with her wand before gesturing to Narcissa. "Lead the way."

The courtyard was large and flowered, with peacocks strutting about, the white flagstones smooth beneath Winky's feet. She peered from behind the rose bush, watching the teenager and her aunt as they walked.

"… You can go to Hogwarts this year," Narcissa was saying. "We decided to let you go."

"In disguise?" asked Alexis, her expression suspicious.

"No. Lucius and I also decided to allow you to come to the World Cup. For that however, you do need to be in disguise. The Death Eaters have plans."

Alexis nodded. Her face was an emotionless mask, her feelings completely hidden. Narcissa could only guess at her thoughts, but decided not to try.

"What do you think?" Narcissa asked her niece.

"I'll go," said Alexis slowly, "but on one condition."

Narcissa raised her eyebrows. How Alexis was able to turn the tables on her so swiftly she had no idea, but it was certainly annoying. "Oh?"

"I get to wear whatever I want. To Hogwarts too. I'll make sure no one knows it's me, but I am not wearing whatever you think I should wear just because you think I should wear it."

Narcissa sighed deeply. "Very well."

Alexis turned on her heel. "I'll see you when it's time to go. Send me a letter with all the details," she walked a short distance away, and spun around. "Winky, go to my balcony."

She disapparated, leaving thin air where she'd been moments before, and her aunt staring in wonder. What had happened to the anti-apparition wards? She turned to face the small elf, but found only the peacocks.

Bewildered, Narcissa returned to the manor.

Alex stared at the small elf. "He's back? Junior, I mean, not the Dark Lord. How is he? How's he taking the Imperious? You know, I can break the spell for him, if only he would let me visit…"

Winky shook her head. "Miss, I cannot take you to the Crouch residence without Masters' permission. Shall I request it?"

"From Mr. Crouch, you mean?" Alex snorted. "Yeah, because that will totally happen. Listen Winky, you want that curse broken. Why not let me help and get permission from Junior? It won't count as breaking your rules, and you and Junior can have what you like. We both know that Crouch has no love for him, so what's the point in trying?"

Winky's head dropped, and she stared at the floor in shame. "I'll go ask," she mumbled, and disappeared with a 'pop!'

Once the elf had gone, Alexis turned to address the owl so intent on giving her a letter. She knew what it was. After all, she'd requested it.

_Dear Miss Lestrange,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Term begins on September 1__st__; however we request you arrive three days earlier so that we can assess your skill and knowledge, so as to put you in the right classes._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress_

Alex felt like skipping about the room, but of course, she was not one for such things. Instead, she ran to her mirror. It was almost time. Almost.

But not yet.

"Winky!" she hollered. No need to really, but it felt good.

The elf appeared with a 'crack!'

"Yes Miss?" she said with a bow.

"Bring Junior here at midnight. I don't care if he wants to or not. Okay?"

Winky looked confused. "Bring young master here at midnight?" she asked, to clarify.

Alexis nodded. "Yup. Now go home and pretend we didn't have this conversation."

Winky bowed again and disapparated.

Alex smiled. She liked yelling at people.

"So are you going to get ready?" asked Jen.

Alex's smile crashed to the floor and broke into a million pieces. "Yes. But I'm not changing how I look."

"Please?"

"No!" Alex spun away. Sometimes Jen could be annoying. "I'm wearing what I wore to the Spring Equinox four years ago."

"Four years ago?" Jen gaped. "No way. It's going to be tiny on you!"

"Shut up. You know perfectly well that it is charmed to grow and shrink according to the person's size."

Jen's mouth snapped shut. Oops. Now she would be mad. But who cares about her? Alex stomped off towards her closet.

Pulling the door open, she walked inside. She glanced at the different elegant dresses there, and sighed. Why did everything in there have to be so formal? She pulled the dress she'd worn off the rod and changed quickly into it.

Junior looked up wearily as the elf appeared. She'd been gone for a while, and he really wanted to be fed and put to bed already, the spell on him seeping his strength.

"Winky, give me some food."

"Yes Master," Winky said with a bow, hurrying to the kitchen. "What would Master like-"

"Just get him some soup, Winky, and send him to bed." Barty Crouch Senior walked into the room, carrying his newspaper and briefcase. He sat down on the sofa and opened his paper, without looking at his son.

"There, I'm ready. You can open your eyes Jen."

Jen's blue eyes fluttered open, and she gasped. "You're beautiful Alex! Wow. You absolutely need to get your picture taken."

Alexis shook her head forcefully. "No. Anyway, it's only a date."

"Only? Alex…" Jen trailed off at the look of rage in Alex's eyes.

"Stay out of my business," she hissed, her eyebrows slanting angrily. "I'll wear what I want to. You have no say on this, portrait!" She waved her wand and a canvas cover slid over the painting. Then she sighed and sat down on her bed. Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. Alex blinked furiously to get rid of them, but they stubbornly remained and so she grabbed a towel and mopped her eyes, determined not to spill a tear.

Finally, she stood. She grabbed a quill and wrote a brief note to Winky.

_Winky-  
Take Junior to the G. Yard in Gryffindor's lair. You know what I mean._

Alexis didn't sign the note. Just in case. She tapped it with her wand and it folded itself into a piece of paper the size of a postage stamp, which flew out the window and into the wind.

Then Alex herself stepped out into the night air, her hair flying in the wind. She turned slowly on the spot, silently thanking the Malfoys for inadequate wards.

The graveyard of Godric's Hollow was silent as a grave, pardon the pun. Alex arrived in a swish of darkness, smiling at the sight before her. Death was her best friend, after all, the jailor who kept troublesome people out of the way.

She walked along in the darkness, laughing silently as the squirrels ran from her. They could sense what she was, and they were scared.

"Alex…" Slayer rose behind her. "You have come."

"No way, Slayer. Your best subject truly is the obvious. And you know, you really should cover your tracks better. I knew you were here the moment I arrived."

"The master calls." Slayer's face was emotionless.

"Now?" Alexis was annoyed. "I sorta have some things to do, like free my boyfriend from a curse! That is, unless you have people to do that for me. Then I'm free to go."

Slayer paused for a moment. "Come with me," Slayer offered, "and you can ask him yourself."

Alex laughed. "Yup. Sure, that'll happen. No- you can go and find out for me. When you do, have them make the oath and send me a video, and then I'll come."

"But that can take days," Slayer protested. "And he needs you now. You know, I'm doing you a favor by offering you the option of coming quietly, without force."

Alex stuck out her tongue. "Well I'm not coming. You can do as I say or wait until I'm done. And don't try anything- you and I both know I would best you in a fight, if it came to that. Now shoo!"

"Master," Slayer bent at the foot of the throne. "She refuses to come, claiming she has business to do."

"And what is that business?" The Master's voice was deep and calculated, each word weighed before it was spoken.

"Curse breaking. She intends to rescue her boyfriend from the Imperious."

"Boyfriend?"

"Barty Crouch Junior."

"When does she plan to come?"

"Alexis told me that she would come immediately if someone else broke the curse. If not, it would have to wait until after she breaks it herself, possibly a while afterward."

"Can we not spare someone?"

"We can, Master."

"Then send Amber. She is the best at curse breaking aside from Alexis, and if the job is not done well we will see problems with the loyalty of the girl. Very well, dispatch her. Slayer, go summon Amber, and deal with the specifics. When you are done, call Alexis and report back."

"Consider it done." Slayer bowed, and was gone.

Alex frowned, crossing her arms and legs. "You want me to go on a mission? Now? You know it's almost the Quidditch World Cup, and I wanna be there. The stupid Malfoys decided to let me go and I'm not gonna give up my excuse to go as I am."

"Alexis, you know this is more important than you needs, which are trivial in comparison. The clan must live on! You must go."

"Right. But even if the so called 'clan' dies, I'll still be alive, won't I? So why can't this wait?"

"Look within yourself, and you will see that the words we speak are true. We are your family. Without us you are only a thirteen year old girl-"

"-Almost fourteen," she interjected.

"-Whereas with us you are powerful. Don't play games child."

Alexis hung her head. She knew he was right, but she was too stubborn. She sighed quietly, and then raised her head once more. "Very well, I will go. However, I insist you allow me to take two companions."

Her master spared only moments to consider. "You may take Slayer and Amanda with you. You leave in twenty four hours."

Junior opened his eyes slowly, savoring his awakening. He arched his back, stretching every muscle, clenching his fists and then opening them gradually. "I live again," he breathed, admiring his own physique.

"Master, would you like something to eat?" Winky bobbed at his head, gesturing to a tureen of soup on the counter.

"Nah, maybe later. Where am I, Winky?"

"In the Black manor. It belongs to Miss Lestrange, and her friends were using it. They are still here, and they said Miss Lestrange would be here soon."

Junior blinked. "Alex has friends?"

"Apparently, Sir. Two of them. They did not give their names but they said they would like to speak with you…"

"I'll see them now Winky."

The elf nodded, and bobbed a curtsey before running from the room. Junior looked after her, wondering who exactly Alex's friends were when another elf entered the room.

It was a male this time, wearing a filthy loin cloth and a look of pure ecstasy. He ignored Junior completely and ran to a cupboard in the corner, where he deposited something. He left with a loud 'crack!'

Junior wondered idly who the elf was. It seemed many things had changed since he was last truly conscious. It was good to be back.

The kitchen door swung open, and Winky bustled inside. A large stooped figure in a cloak followed her in, and Junior's heart stopped, but only for a moment. He'd mistaken the vampire for a dementor.

A girl followed him inside. It seemed everything about her was a shade of violet. Her hair, her clothes, her eyes, her dainty lips… Junior pushed those thoughts from his mind. He already had a girlfriend.

"I'm Amanda," the girl said. "And this is Slayer. Now that we've broken the Imperious, you must pretend you are still under it. Your father _must not know._We will place him under an Imperious at our earliest convenience, but until then you must hide your consciousness. You see, Slayer, Alex and I have a mission to complete. Slayer will go now, and I will return you to your home. Here is your wand." She handed him his wand, which warmed at his touch in welcome.

"And here's your Portkey."


End file.
